1950 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

American college football season February 2026 August 2023 1950 Alabama Crimson Tide football Southeastern Conference SEC 17 16 9–2 6–2 Harold Drew 4th Mike Mizerany Denny StadiumLegion FieldLadd Stadium The 1950 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "UA" or "Bama") represented the University of Alabama in the 1950 college football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 56th overall and 17th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Harold Drew, in his fourth year, and played their home games at Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Legion Field in Birmingham and Ladd Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. They finished with a record of nine wins and two losses (9–2 overall, 6–2 in the SEC). Alabama opened the season with victories over 1950 Chattanooga Mocs Chattanooga and Tulane before they lost their first game of the season against Vanderbilt at Ladd Stadium. The Crimson Tide rebounded the next week with a win over 1950 Furman Paladins Furman at Denny Stadium, but lost against Tennessee at Shields-Watkins Field in week five. Alabama ten went on to win their final six games over Mississippi State, Georgia, 1950 Southern Miss Golden Eagles Mississippi Southern, Georgia Tech, Florida and Auburn. Although they finished ranked in the top 20 of both major polls, the Crimson Tide did not receive a bid to play in a bowl game at the conclusion of the season. Schedule 1950 AP September 23 w y Chattanooga Legion Field Birmingham, AL 27–0 September 30 w y Tulane Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA 26–14 45,000 October 7 l 12 Vanderbilt Ladd Stadium Mobile, AL 22–27 32,000 October 13 w y Furman Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL 34–6 12,000 October 21 l y Tennessee 18 Shields-Watkins Field Knoxville, TN Third Saturday in October 9–14 50,000 October 28 w y Mississippi State Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL rivalry 14–7 30,000 November 4 w Georgia Legion Field Birmingham, AL rivalry 14–7 39,000 November 11 w y Mississippi Southern Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL 53–0 15,000 November 18 w y Georgia Tech Grant Field Atlanta, GA rivalry 54–19 38,000 November 25 w y 17 Florida Gator Bowl Jacksonville, FL rivalry 41–13 16,000 December 2 w y 16 Auburn Legion Field Birmingham, AL Iron Bowl 34–0 39,000 http://www.rolltide.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/m-footbl-results-archive.html#1950 1950 Alabama football schedule RollTide.com University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics October 23, 2012 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20111125000700/http://www.rolltide.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/m-footbl-results-archive.html November 25, 2011 Game summaries Chattanooga 1950 Chattanooga Moccasins football team Chattanooga 0 0 0 0 Alabama 0 14 6 7 September 23 Legion FieldBirmingham, AL Source:Tide bowls over Moccasins 27 to 0 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vPI-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=T00MAAAAIBAJ&pg=6152%2C6666200 Google News Archives The Tuscaloosa News September 24, 1950 6 October 23, 2012 To open the 1950 season, Alabama shutout the Chattanooga Moccasins 27–0 at Legion Field.1950 Season Recap After a scoreless first quarter, Alabama recovered a Mocs fumble at their 14-yard line early in the second. On the next play, Ed Salem scored on a 14-yard run for a 7–0 Crimson Tide lead. Alabama then extended their lead to 14–0 by halftime when Salem connected with Larry Chiodetti on a 25-yard touchdown reception. In the third, Salem threw his second touchdown pass of the game to Al Lary from 53-yards out for a 20–0 lead. Bobby Wilson then closed the scoring late in the fourth quarter with his one-yard touchdown run to make the final score 27–0. Tulane 1950 Tulane Green Wave football team Alabama 6 7 13 0 Tulane 0 0 7 7 September 30 Tulane StadiumNew Orleans, LA 45,000 Source:Bama barrage buries Wave 26 to 14 Ed Watkins https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bO8-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=OU0MAAAAIBAJ&pg=6057%2C41729 Google News Archives The Tuscaloosa News October 1, 1950 8 October 23, 2012 To open conference play for the 1950 season, Alabama traveled to New Orleans and defeated Tulane 26–14 to end a three-game losing streak against the Green Wave. After a six-yard Ed Salem touchdown run gave Alabama a 6–0 lead in the first quarter, Al Lary was responsible for the final three Crimson Tide touchdown receptions. After a 26-yard reception from Salem in the second, Lary had touchdown receptions of six-yards from Butch Avinger and 41-yards from Salem in the third to give Alabama a 26–0 lead. Tulane responded with a pair of touchdowns on runs of five-yards by George Kinek and seven-yards by Alvis Batson to make the final score 26–14. Vanderbilt 1950 Vanderbilt Commodores football team Vanderbilt 14 7 6 0 Alabama 7 6 0 9 October 7 Ladd StadiumMobile, Alabama 32,000 Source:Commodores upset Crimson Tide with powerful aerial barrage, 27–22 Norman H. Bassett https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=c-8-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=OU0MAAAAIBAJ&pg=6140%2C622570 Google News Archives The Tuscaloosa News October 8, 1950 12 October 23, 2012 At Ladd Stadium, the Crimson Tide lost their first game of the season by a final score of 27–22 to the Vanderbilt Commodores. Vandy took a 14–0 first quarter lead on a pair of Bill Wade touchdown passes. The first was an 85-yard pass to Ernest Curtis and the second a 15-yard pass to Sylbert Cook. The Crimson Tide responded with a 15-yard Ed Salem touchdown run to make the score at the end of the first 14–7. In the second quarter, the Commodores scored on a one-yard Mac Robinson touchdown run and Alabama scored on a 17-yard Butch Avinger touchdown pass to Al Lary to make the halftime score 21–13 in favor of Vanderbilt. The Commodores scored their final points on a 21-yard Wade pass to Curtis in the third before the Crimson Tide scored nine fourth quarter points to make the final score 27–22. Furman 1950 Furman Purple Hurricane football team Furman 0 0 6 0 Alabama 0 14 7 13 October 13 Denny StadiumTuscaloosa, AL 12,000 Source:Five Alabama T.D.'s stop Furman, 34 to 6 Ben A. Green https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ee8-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=OU0MAAAAIBAJ&pg=6225%2C1195785 Google News Archives The Tuscaloosa News October 14, 1950 4 October 23, 2012 In what was the first Denny Stadium game of the 1946 season, Alabama defeated the Furman Purple Hurricane 34–6 before a crowd of 12,000 on a Friday night. After a scoreless first quarter, the Crimson Tide took a 14–0 halftime lead after touchdown runs of 52-yards by Butch Avinger and 21-yards by Ed Salem in the second quarter. After Alabama extended their lead to 21–0 on a four-yard Salem run, Furman scored their only points of the game on a three-yard Tommy Williams run to make the score at the end of the third quarter 21–6. The Crimson Tide then closed the game with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns first on a seven-yard Jim Burkett run and then on a 42-yard Clell Hobson pass to Al Lary to make the final score 34–6. Tennessee 1950 Tennessee Volunteers football team Third Saturday in October Alabama 3 0 6 0 #18 Tennessee 0 7 0 7 October 21 Shields-Watkins FieldKnoxville, TN 50,000 Sources:Edwin Watkins Last minute Vol T.D. defeats Alabama 14–9 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ge8-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=OU0MAAAAIBAJ&pg=6075%2C1793286 Google News Archives The Tuscaloosa News October 22, 1950 1 October 23, 2012 Alabama lost 14–9 to the rival Tennessee Volunteers before 50,000 fans at Shields-Watkins Field in Knoxville. Harold Lutz gave the Crimson Tide a 3–0 first quarter lead with his 20-yard field goal, Alabama's first of the season. Tennessee responded with a two-yard Andy Kozar touchdown run in the second quarter to give the Vols a 7–3 halftime lead. After a 43-yard Bobby Marlow touchdown run in the third gave Alabama a 9–7 lead, Kozar scored the game-winning touchdown on a fourth-and-one play, from the Alabama one-yard line, with less than one minute remaining in the game for the 14–9 Tennessee victory. Mississippi State 1950 Mississippi State Maroons football team Mississippi State 0 0 0 7 Alabama 0 0 0 14 October 28 Denny StadiumTuscaloosa, AL 30,000 Source:Edwin Watkins Bama rallies in final quarter to beat Mississippi State 14–7 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=h-8-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=OU0MAAAAIBAJ&pg=6080%2C2373377 Google News Archives The Tuscaloosa News 10 October 29, 1949 October 23, 2012 On homecoming in Tuscaloosa, the Crimson Tide defeated the Mississippi State Maroons 14–7 before the largest crowd to attend a game at Denny Stadium to date. As the teams entered the fourth quarter, the score remained scoreless. In the fourth, Alabama took a 14–0 lead on touchdown runs of three-yards by Jim Burkett and of 53-yards by James Melton. The Maroons then answered with their only touchdown of the game on a 20-yard Gil Verderver pass to Max Stainbrook and made the final score 14–7. Georgia 1950 Georgia Bulldogs football team Georgia 0 7 0 0 Alabama 0 0 7 7 November 4 Legion FieldBirmingham, AL 39,000 Sources:Norman H. Bassett Bama's late touchdown brings 14–7 win over Georgia https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ju8-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=OU0MAAAAIBAJ&pg=6146%2C2963484 Google News Archives The Tuscaloosa News November 5, 1950 10 October 23, 2012 In Birmingham, Alabama defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 14–7 in cold and rainy conditions at Legion Field. After a scoreless first quarter, Georgia took a 7–0 halftime lead when Lewis Brunson scored on a one-yard touchdown run. The Crimson Tide responded with a pair of second half touchdowns and won the game 14–7. Butch Avinger scored on a one-yard run in the third and Tom Calvin scored on a one-yard run in the fourth quarter. For the game, Ed Salem passed for 193 yards on 12 completions in the win. Mississippi Southern 1950 Mississippi Southern Southerners football team Mississippi Southern 0 0 0 0 Alabama 0 21 26 6 November 11 Denny StadiumTuscaloosa, AL 15,000 Source:Tide tops Southern, 53–0 Ed Watkins https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=le8-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=OU0MAAAAIBAJ&pg=6024%2C3503671 Google News Archives The Tuscaloosa News November 12, 1950 8 October 24, 2012 Against the Mississippi Southern Southerners the Crimson Tide won in a 53–0 shutout at Denny Stadium. After a scoreless first quarter for the third consecutive week, Alabama took a 21–0 halftime lead on three Al Lary touchdown receptions. The first two were thrown by Ed Salem from 10 and 51-yards with the third thrown by James Melton from 21-yards. The Crimson Tide aerial attack continued into the third quarter with another three passing touchdowns, in addition to one on an interception return, to make the score 47–0 by the fourth quarter. The first was thrown 13-yards from Butch Avinger to Ed Lary; the second was thrown from three-yards from Clell Hobson to George McCain; the third was thrown nine-yards from McCain to Ed Lary; and the fourth was scored when O. E. Phillips had a 29-yard interception return. The final points were then scored in the fourth quarter on a 10-yard McCain pass to Joe Curtis to make the final score 53–0. For the game, the Alabama quarterbacks collectively completed 21 of 26 passes for 283 yards. Georgia Tech 1950 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team Alabama 27 7 6 14 Georgia Tech 0 6 0 13 November 18 Grant FieldAtlanta, GA 38,000 Source:Ben A. Green Bobby Marlow leads Crimson Tide to 54–19 triumph over Georgia Tech https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=nO8-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=OU0MAAAAIBAJ&pg=6137%2C4093843 Google News Archives The Tuscaloosa News November 19, 1950 10 October 24, 2012 After Alabama scored 27 first quarter points, the Crimson Tide went on to defeat the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 54–19 at Grant Field in Atlanta. Bobby Marlow scored Alabama's first three touchdowns on a two-yard run, a 24-yard reception from Ed Salem and on a 91-yard run. Tom Calvin then scored the final touchdown of the quarter to give the Crimson Tide a 27–0 lead at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, Marlow scored his fourth touchdown of the game on a 24-yard pass from Salem, and then Tech scored their first points on a 36-yard Robert North touchdown run to make the halftime score 34–6. After George McCain scored on a two-yard run in the third, each team closed the game in the fourth quarter with a pair of touchdowns. For the Crimson Tide, Dick Barry scored on a one-yard run and on a Salem touchdown pass. The Yellow Jackets scored on a 10-yard Joe Salome pass to Henry Ferris and on a one-yard James Patton run to make the final score 54–19. Florida 1950 Florida Gators football team #17 Alabama 7 20 2 12 Florida 0 0 0 13 November 25 Gator BowlJacksonville, FL 16,000 Source:Harry Cook Tide Orange Bowl stock soars with 41–13 win over Florida https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ou8-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=OU0MAAAAIBAJ&pg=6070%2C4635346 Google News Archives The Tuscaloosa News November 26, 1950 8 October 24, 2012 For the second year in a row in what was their final road game of the season, Alabama defeated the Florida Gators 41–13 in their first all-time trip to the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville. After Bobby Marlow scored on a one-yard run in the first, Ed Salem scored three second-quarter touchdowns on runs of six, eight and five-yards to give the Crimson Tide a 27–0 halftime lead. After Alabama extended their lead to 29–0 with a third quarter safety, each team scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to make the final score 41–13. The Crimson Tide scored on a one-yard Butch Avinger run and on a five-yard Larry Chiodetti run; the Gators scored on a one-yard William McGowan run and on a 70-yard Haywood Sullivan pass to Dan Howell. Auburn 1950 Auburn Tigers football team Iron Bowl Auburn 0 0 0 0 #16 Alabama 6 7 14 7 December 2 Legion FieldBirmingham, AL 39,000 Source:Ed Watkins Bama Tide throttles Tigers, 34–0 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qe8-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=OU0MAAAAIBAJ&pg=6083%2C5273113 Google News Archives The Tuscaloosa News December 3, 1950 14 October 24, 2012Griffin John Chandler Alabama vs. Auburn: Gridiron Grudge Since 1893 2001 Hill Street Press Athens, Georgia 1-58818-044-1 133–135 1950: The Tide swamps the winless Tigers A year after they were upset by Auburn 14–13, Alabama scored touchdowns in all four quarters and shutout the Tigers 34–0 at Legion Field. Bobby Marlow scored the first three touchdowns for the Crimson Tide on a 26-yard reception from Ed Salem in the first, and on runs of seven and two yards in the second and third quarters. A 31-yard Larry Chiodetti run in the third and one-yard Jim Burkett run in the fourth quarter provided the final 34–0 margin. Personnel Varsity letter winners Player Hometown Position Butch Avinger Montgomery, Alabama Quarterback Jack Brown Selma, Alabama Quarterback Jim Burkett Dothan, Alabama Fullback Tom Calvin Athens, Alabama Halfback Larry Chiodetti Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Halfback Joe Compton Sylacauga, Alabama Fullback Bob Conway Fort Wayne, Indiana Halfback L. B. Couch Alabama City, Alabama Center Joe Curtis Birmingham, Alabama End Herb Hannah Athens, Alabama Guard Sandy Helms Tuscaloosa, Alabama Guard Clell Hobson Tuscaloosa, Alabama Quarterback Travis Hunt Albertville, Alabama Tackle Jug Jenkins Eufaula, Alabama End Lint Jordan Monticello, Georgia End Al Lary Northport, Alabama End Ed Lary Northport, Alabama End Larry Lauer Wilmette, Illinois Center Harold Lutz Clinton, Iowa End Harold Manley Winfield, Alabama End Van Marcus Birmingham, Alabama Tackle Bobby Marlow Troy, Alabama Halfback Dave Mayfield Jacksonville, Florida Tackle George McCain Clanton, Alabama Halfback James Melton Wetumpka, Alabama Halfback Fred Mims Birmingham, Alabama Guard Mike Mizerany Birmingham, Alabama Guard Pat O'Sullivan New Orleans, Louisiana Linebacker Jess Richardson Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Guard Ed Salem Birmingham, Alabama Halfback Tom Selman Rome, Georgia Tackle Roy Smalley Birmingham, Alabama Guard Elliott Speed Selma, Alabama Center Jerry Watford Gadsden, Alabama Guard Al Wilhite Tuscumbia, Alabama Tackle Bobby Wilson Bay Minette, Alabama QuarterbackReference:2011 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Record Book 2011 All-Time Tide Football Lettermen University of Alabama Athletics Media Relations Office Tuscaloosa, Alabama 127–141 Coaching staff Name Position Seasons atAlabama Alma mater (year) Harold Drew Head coach 17 Bates (1916) Lew Bostick Assistant coach 7 Alabama (1939) Tilden Campbell Assistant coach 11 Alabama (1935) Hank Crisp Assistant coach 23 VPI (1920) Joe Kilgrow Assistant coach 7 Alabama (1937) Malcolm Laney Assistant coach 7 Alabama (1932) Tom Lieb Assistant coach 5 Notre Dame (1923)Reference:2011 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Record Book 2011 All-Time Assistant Coaches University of Alabama Athletics Media Relations Office Tuscaloosa, Alabama 142–143 References General http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/alab/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/1950-m-footbl-recaps.pdf 1950 Season Recaps RollTide.com University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics October 23, 2012 PDF https://web.archive.org/web/20160304084522/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/alab/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/1950-m-footbl-recaps.pdf 2016-03-04 dead Specific Alabama Category:Alabama Crimson Tide football seasons Alabama Crimson Tide football